SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS 2016 JEREMIAH 31:7-14

A prayer for the New Year’s Day:Dear LordSo far this year I've done well. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper; I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent. I'm very thankful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on I'm probably going to need a lot more help.Amen.

We’ve buried 2015, that poor, sad old man. He had it coming. His grey beard hadreached his waist, his memory was wrecked, his aching body is now mercifully out of its misery. Some grieve his passing. Some celebrate that he is now at rest. On Thursday morning we heard the cry of a newborn, with all the hope and excitement that miracle brings. There she is in her diaper, still too young to have opinions, too fresh to have experienced great sadness, too innocent to have witnessed horror.

How do you feel as you gaze down into her crib? Like every brand new creature 2016 has within her the potential for greatness. On her watch lovers will marry, strangers will become friends, acquaintances will fall in love. Grand ventures will be undertaken, awesome projects will begin, dreams will hatch, grow and change the world for good. Enemies will be reconciled, walls of division will come down, forgiveness will be granted. In her short life, 2016 will see beauty created, hope restored, and grace flourish.

But as we adore her in her soft loveliness, we have a sense of foreboding. We don’t want to pile too many hopes onto her tiny frame, for we know that expectations are just disappointments that haven’t happened yet. And we ruefully remember many of her brothers and sisters and the promises we piled on their shoulders which they could not bear. They too had been brimming with potential on January 3rd. 

So, how was 2015 for you? How were you blessed? Where did God show up? Whatmemories have you stored away in that safe place where you keep your treasures? And what pain did you experience in 2015? What wound is still open, what fresh scar are you still nursing, what bitterness lingers on your tongue?

In today’s Old Testament lesson Jeremiah is..... (Read the full Sermon here: Sermon - 01-03-16 - More baggage than Samsonite )

CHRISTMAS EVE 2015 LUKE 2:1-14

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the land People were travelling at Caesar’s command. He’d passed a decree that ruled they should go To their birthplace, their hometowns, their faces to show; So the Romans could count them and know just how much Their Empire was wealthy and mighty, and such.

So Mary and Joseph, her hubby-to-be, Set out from their village to David’s city, Where Joseph was born and where he was bred, “Along with gazillions of others”, they said. For the crowds were so thick and the folk were so numerous, People were pushing and jostling and humorless.

They eventually got to the front of the line, Where a pen-pusher was sitting, taking his time. “Now here is a family of two, to be sure”, Said the bureaucrat counting, to the man by a door “No wait”, called the counter, “it’s clear that another will soon be arriving with father and mother.

Have you got any room in that tavern of yours?” “You what?” said his mate, “Have you seen all these hordes Of people from all over surrounding locations? There’s no room at all – it’s the Christmas vacations.

Read the full Sermon here: Christmas Eve Sermon - The fullness of time

The World Awaits

Promises promises.

They said there'll be snow at Christmas.They said there'll be peace on earth.But instead it just kept on raining,A veil of tears for the virgin's birthI remember one Christmas morning,A winters light and a distant choir,And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell,And their eyes full of tinsel and fire

They sold me a dream of Christmas.They sold me a silent night.And they told me a fairy story'till I believed in the Israelite.And I believed in father Christmas.And I looked at the sky with excited eyes,'till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn,And I saw him and through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas.I wish you a brave new year.All anguish, pain, and sadnessLeave your heart and let your road be clear.They said there'll be snow at Christmas.They said there'll be peace on earth.Hallelujah, noel, be it heaven or hell,The Christmas you get you deserve.

As I read these song lyrics 40 years after Greg Lake sang them from the dizzying heights of Number 2 in the UK pop chart, I still get a shiver down my spine. I still feel the hairs rising on my forearms. The shock of unexpected conflict still pierces my soul. I was only twelve when I first heard this story of one man’s loss of his childhood beliefs, but I understood it. At least, I understood the words, but not.... (Read the full Sermon here: The World Awaits)

THIRD OF ADVENT 2015 LUKE 3:7-18Turns out I’ve been doing it all wrong. 22 years I’ve been ordained. Do you know how many Sunday services that is? Rhetorical question - don’t take out your phones and open the calculator app. That’s a gazillion sermons I’ve preached. And this week I am in despair. I feel like the guy who has been pushing his lawnmower around his yard for 20 years and just discovered it has a motor. Because this week I’ve been reading John the Baptist’s method of preaching; and I now understand that I’ve been too nice to you. John begins his sermons with, “You brood of vipers”. So, I’ve been praying about this, and I think we should try it next week. We’ll process in, as normal, then I’ll turn and face you and I’ll say “You brood of vipers”, and you all reply “And also with you”. “You’re a bucket of snakes”. “As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be world without end.” And we should probably redesign the card in the pew to say, Welcome, serpent”. The Welcome and Evangelism Committee won’t like it. They’ll tell me that that is not how Jesus would do it. That’s the problem with evangelists - they insist on talking about Jesus.

Jesus or John? Jesus or John? Jesus or John? Nice or nasty, peaceful or petulant, compassion or criticism, joy or judgement, include or insult, mercy or moody, cotton or camelhair, lamb or locusts, dessert or desert. Have yourself a merry little Christmas or Grandma got run over by a reindeer? Jesus or John? Wet blanket or raging furnace? Baptism of water or baptism of fire? That is how John compared his ministry with that of Jesus. “I baptize you with water.But one who is more powerful than I will come. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Two baptisms - water and fire. On the face of it they are not compatible. Can you have two elements that are so in conflict? Fire and water. They can’t exist in the same space together. Either the water will extinguish the flame, or the heat of the fire will turn the water into vapor, which will then disappear into the atmosphere.

Well what if we..... (Read the full Sermon here: Sermon 12-13-2015 )

But deep down his doubts are as real as hers, his anger just as strong.

That curse. At times it threatens to overwhelm them. Elizabeth bears the pitying glances of the ignorant with quiet dignity, betraying a depth of grace that befits her noble heritage. When she married Zechariah there was such joy and hope – two priestly families joined in blessed union. But then, slowly, after months turned to years, it became clear to the whole city that God had not blessed them, but had pronounced the curse. Now the years had turned to decades, and those decades had calcified into a cold, dead state of permanence. These are unenlightened days. Jesus will come and rip away the curtain that prevents people from seeing the true, full heart of God. But for now, superstition enslaves people with the lie that God is displeased with childless couples; they must have done something very wrong to be denied the blessing of offspring in an age when the survival of people too old to work depended on having adult children to support them.

Zechariah squeezes his wife’s shoulder tenderly, opens the door to their house, and makes his way to the Temple. THE Temple. The symbol of God’s presence with the people. As he strides he turns....

Read the full Sermon here: Curse the dark or light a candle.pdf

FIRST OF ADVENT 2015 LUKE 21:25-36This morning in a spirit of humility and repentance, in keeping with the beginning of Advent, I thought I would bring some evidence of my sins to show you. Not that any of you need convincing that I have legions of them, but it does me good to bear my soul and beat my breast from time to time. Most of the time I’m fully aware of when I’m sinning, but in this instance I didn’t know until weeks later. It was the winter of 2013 and I received this letter in the mail. I was curious, because it bore an Italian stamp, and in the top left hand corner of the envelope it said, “poste italiene”. Now I had no idea what was waiting for me in the envelope. So I tore it open, read the letter and still had noidea what was waiting for me in the envelope because I don’t speak Italian. I could, however, read the numbers, and one in particular caught my eye. 121 Euros. The previous summer I vacationed in Florence, hired a car, and apparently violated all manner of traffic laws in the beautiful city of Pisa. I’ve also done this Dublin and in a charming small French town whose name I forget. Actually, I have a collection of traffic tickets from all over Europe. You’ll see my photo at most border crossings in the EU. Now you see why I emigrated to another continent. But one thing going for me is being the pastor of a multinational congregation. I reckon I’m probably covered for traffic tickets in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and everywhere those languages are spoken. So I asked Fabrizio to translate, and he told me that ignorance was no excuse, and even though I didn’t understand the road signs there was no way out of paying the fine. But, very encouragingly, he told me that he too was a sinner, and had broken those same traffic laws a few months earlier. So, I reckon that if a native of Florence can’t read the signs in Pisa, what chance does an Englishman have? The Florence police very helpfully, and rather gloatingly, show you on their website a photo of the road sign that you disobeyed. Turns out there were signs all over the place that I should have been aware of, but I missed them. I’ve also received a ticket trying to enter the Army War College the wrong way. There are signs all over the place there, too, but I missed them also.

It’s Advent. The season of waiting, the season to..... Read the full Sermon here: Things will get worse before they get really bad.pdf

CHRIST THE KING 2015 JOHN 18:33-37The results are in, and they are startling. I was shocked, and, actually I suspect some voter fraud, because surely this can’t be right. But there it is as plain as day on the website quibblo.com the electorate has spoken and their verdict is clear. Now, the question on the ballot was important. In fact, this is probably the most crucial question facing our nation in these days. My vote went to a candidate that came in only 6th, so I’m not happy. Frankly, I’m perplexed. I can’t help thinking that this travesty of an outcome is a sad reflection of the moral fiber of our nation today. “What was the issue on the ballot?”, I hear you ask. Well, it was the crucial question, “Who is your favoriteSuperhero?” And the winner was Batman. I know. Give the ignorant the vote and this is what they do with it. I mean, he doesn’t even have any superpowers. He is just a creepy rich guy who had a bad experience in childhood. I demand a recount. But he does have a cool car, and I can’t help thinking that had something to do with it. Now, my candidate, the superhero who surely, to any balanced, reasonable, impartial voter, HAS to be the greatest, who demands the title of superest superhero is the original and the best – Superman. It must be. Who needs a cool car when you can fly faster than a speeding bullet? Who wants to be a billionaire when your resume includes saving the world multiple times? And when it comes to overcoming your psychological demons, OK so Bruce Wayne saw his parents being murdered, but Kal-el (for that is Clark Kent’s real name) experienced his entire planet exploding. Holy trauma, Batman.

I loved Superman. But there was one thing that drove me up the wall in......... (Read the full Sermon here: Is it a bird, is it a plane?.pdf )

25TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 2015 MARK 13:1-8Before I begin I want to tell you about the aftermath of last week’s sermon. If you were not here you need to know that the Gospel story was the widow who dropped two small copper coins into the Temple treasury, which was all she had, and Jesus declared that she had given more than people who had dropped in larger sums. So, it’s Tuesday morning and Liz is counting the money from the three services last weekend. And she shouts out to me, “Oy, I’ve got a bone to pick with you.” (Because that’s how she talks to me.) So I call back, “What?” (because that’s how I talk to her.) And she marches into my study waving a Ziploc bag full of pennies. 84 of them. Seriously. “Don’t ever preach that sermon again”, she said. Now last weekend there were 245 people in church, which means one third of them had been planning to drop their usual $50 into the plate, but then heard the Bible passage, kept the 50 bucks in their wallets anddropped in a small copper coin instead. Now, I’m a broad-minded, gentle-enough bloke, I hardly ever tell people bluntly that they are completely messed up in their interpretation of a Bible passage, but let me say – that is not the moral of the story. Even now Jesus is probably turning to that widow in heaven and saying, “Did you see what they did last week at Mt Calvary?”

Jesus’ day is not yet over. (Read the full Sermon here: When buildings fall down.pdf )

24TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 2015 MARK 12:38-44

Jesus is fatigued. Drained by his confrontations with religious leaders, exasperated by their stubborn ignorance, sick and tired of the endless pointless debates with foolish people who should know better - powerful men with initials after their names and titles before them. All day he has been on edge. It started the day before when he entered the Temple. Instead of enjoying a place of quiet reverence and prayer, he encountered the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, but without the colourful blazers. Instead of shares they traded doves and sheep, instead of Treasury bonds they exchanged money. He had felt God’s passionate displeasure rise within him many times in his ministry, but this was different. This took the bakery. He could not contain his rage. So, a touch surprisingly you might think, he trashed the place. What would Jesus do? Don’t rule out throwing furniture and making whips. Then this morning hereturns to the Temple and is accosted by religious leaders, paragons of virtue, outraged at his vandalism the day before. These clergy well-to-dos interrogate him on theological topics, like whether people should pay taxes to Caesar and what he thinks of John the Baptist. Gotcha questions. Attempts to lead him to say something, anything, that would get him into trouble with the Romans or with the people, they don’t care which. Not surprisingly, Jesus is alert to their strategy, he’s anticipating the ambush, he knows you can’t provoke these bandits without them reaching for their guns. He braces himself, dodges their bullets, and returns fire. They are, he unloads, whitewashed tombs, blind guides, hypocrites who practise their piety in public so as to milk the praise of the common people. And now Jesus is spent. Battle weary, he retreats to a quiet nook of the Temple for some R and R, to clear his head and gain some perspective.

And so he eases himself onto a stool, breathes a sign of relief, and mutters something under his breath to his heavenly Father. And as he.... (Read the full Sermon here: God's terrible math.pdf )

ALL SAINTS DAY 2015 REVELATION 21:1-6

I want you to imagine that this morning I were handing out vacation vouchers. Each voucher is worth a free week of vacation in one of four places. So you need to choose where to spend your week. Will you choose a city you have never visited before? A bustling, lively metropolis, with interesting tourist attractions, museums and cultural centers, entertainment venues, interesting history and architecture? Or will you opt for a break in the country - a retreat miles from anywhere and anyone, maybe a villa overlooking a vineyard, a cabin deep in a mighty forest, a mountain range, a national park, a cottage secluded by acres of golden wheat? Or would you select a cruise – the Caribbean, a trip up the west coast to Alaska, or maybe the Mediterranean. Or, finally, would you be tempted by an all-inclusive beach holiday, lying on your recliner reading or snoozing, a glass of something cool next to you, before rousing yourself to stroll the twenty yards to the water’s edge to paddle in the cooling water. Four vacations. You choose. Where is the best vacation on earth? By the way, let me stress this is purely hypothetical. I’m not really giving out vacation vouchers. At the moment. But, when everyone has returned their pledge card, we may be in business. I’m just saying. I’m not ruling anything out. The greatest setting on earth. What is it – city, wilderness, cruise, or beach. Think about that. Actually, don’t think about it too much because you won’t listen to a word I’m saying. I’ll know if you have switched off and are fantasizing about vacations.

Well, the old girl isn’t doing very well these days. She is...... (Read the full Sermon here: Live Fearless.pdf )